Album Notes

"Happy Are They: Psalms to Sing and Sway By" by Steve Eulberg is a collection of 37 new musical and rhythmical settings of the biblical Psalms. They are a samples of those found in Eulberg's book by the same name, published on the Owl Mountain Music label.

The selections in this recording span the breadth of human emotion from ecstasy to sorrow, despair to unbridled hope and dedication. Musically, the span is nearly as broad for the instrumentation ranges from simple piano/guitar with a vocal, to full-throated 4 part harmonies, to "Psalm-Rap" chants supported by multi-continental percussion. Mountain and Hammered Dulcimers are joined by the Australian didjeridoo.

The Psalms have long held a special role for worship and devotion for adherents to Jewish and Christian beliefs. "When I studied Hebrew, their original language, in seminary, my Indian professor helped us to experience them by chanting and dancing to them," Eulberg recalls. "When I was working in an innercity setting I began to set these Psalms to rhythmical "Rap" settings to help the children in our Summer Youth Programs to learn them. And they did! After only one or two repetitions, they were rapping, chanting and singing these psalms all on their own!"

Eulberg is a championship caliber instrumentalist (he has won 2nd and 3rd place in the National Mountain Dulcimer Contest (1998 & 2001) and was a finalist in the National Hammered Dulcimer Contest (1999) in Winfield, Kansas.

He is also noted for his skillful production of acoustic music in northern Colorado, USA and his creative and energizing settings for worship and devotion such as "Christ Is Our Peace," "Holy Mountain" and the "Dulcimer-Friendly Worship" series.